My easy Hush Puppy Recipe is one that you'll want to make again and again! Fried until golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside they are easy to make and delicious! This hushpuppies recipe is a great use of garden zucchini and a great way to sneak some hidden veggies into your kiddos!
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Every year we plant way too many zucchini plants and end up trying to find ways to use them up. While My Grandmother's Chocolate Zucchini Cake still makes an almost weekly appearance every August, we needed something new.
We've made Lemon Glazed Zucchini Bread and Chocolate Zucchini Marble Bread but I wanted something really different.
While there are many variations of a zucchini fritter recipe, I have (humbly) perfected this one! For subtle flavor, I use onion powder rather than raw onions. The result is the perfect savory, crispy bite!
Grating the zucchini also gives the finished fritters a really yummy consistency and makes it easier to hide the veggies. I don't peel the zucchini first, but if you're trying to hide it from your kiddos, you'll want to do that before grating.
🧂 Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of our homemade hush puppies recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- zucchini - whether you're harvesting from your garden or picking these up at the store, choose smaller zucchini. The smaller one will be more tender and the seeds will be smaller as well.
- white cornmeal and self rising flour - both act as the binders for this recipe
- egg, whole milk and cheddar cheese - from the refrigerator.
- salt, black pepper and onion powder - for seasoning.
- vegetable oil - to fry the hush puppies
If your kids like to cook, get them in the kitchen! Your older kids can help grate, while the younger ones can help measure and mix. Of course, only adults should be near the hot oil.
These are so tasty, you'll want to serve them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the hours in between, too!
📖 Variations
We recommend that the first time you make this Easy Hush Puppy Recipe just as it is written to yield the best results. However, here are some ideas for variations if you choose to be creative:
- For a more intense corn flavor, use yellow cornmeal instead of white and add more texture with 4 tablespoons of fresh corn kernels or add a little bit of thinly sliced green onion.
- Add some heat with 1 finely minced jalapeno pepper and/or substitute the cheddar cheese for pepper jack instead.
Related: Kid Friendly Vegetable Side Dishes
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Serving them with melted Maple Bacon Compound Butter or a drizzle of honey? Heavenly! These are great for parties, but they are also a wonderful side dish for fried fish or chicken.
You could also serve these with cowboy butter dipping sauce for loads of buttery flavor that's divine with these hush puppies.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions people sometimes as about our cornmeal hush puppies recipe, and the answers:
Fritters are generally pan-fried rather than deep-fried. They will look more like a pancake than a drop of batter as shown in the photos.
Hushpuppy batter will be quite stiff - if your batter resembles pancake batter then add a bit more cornmeal - too stiff, add a touch more milk.
While hushpuppies have similar ingredients to cornbread, they are fried, not baked like cornbread usually is. Additionally, hushpuppies have other ingredients such as cheese, vegetables, or binding agents like eggs to make balls.
Store your leftover hush puppies in an air-tight container for around 5 days.
About a week, as long as they are in an airtight container with a lid.
Yes. I would recommend freezing them on a sheet pan so they don't stick together and then just pop them in your favorite storage container or a freezer bag.
You might find your hush puppies are greasy because your oil was too cool. To get a nice brown, crispy outside and a delicious, non-greasy inside, you need your oil to be very hot - around 375F. If it's too cold, the oil will seep into the dough instead of browning it.
⭐ Ang's Tips
- Use a Cooking Thermometer to measure the temperature of your oil before you begin and keep an eye on the temp as you fry each batch and adjust as needed.
- Do not crowd the pan as that will cause the oil temperature to drop and the hush puppies will be oily and soggy.
- Keep the batter at room temperature. If the batter is too cold, the hush puppies will fall apart.
- To keep the hush puppies warm while you're frying, set your oven to WARM and slide the tray into the oven.
⏲️ Storage
Store your leftover hush puppies in an air-tight container for around 5 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
You can flash freeze these on a sheet pan for about 1 hour (so they don't stick together). After that, just pop them in your favorite storage container or a freezer bag. They will keep for about a month.
😋 Similar Recipes
Trust me, this hushpuppies recipe is so easy and everyone loves them. You'll be making them again and again! However, if you have tons of zucchini in your garden, try one of these delicious recipes next time:
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake - my grandmother's recipe that is both easy and absolutely divine!
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups - made with thinly sliced zucchini and rolled around a delicious ricotta filling. Finished by baking in tomato sauce.
You might also like one of these recipes:
This easy hush puppy recipe turns out the most addictive little morsels! They have a deliciously crispy texture on the outside, and a soft, warm, flavorful middle. They are so good, you can't possibly eat just one!
Easy Zucchini Hush Puppies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups of white cornmeal mix
- 3 tablespoons self-rising flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 medium zucchini grated
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven or deep heavy skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the oil - about 3-inches - and bring up to temperature - about 375°-F.1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- Peel (if you want) and grate the zucchini. Set it into a strainer in the sink and allow extra moisture to drain.1 medium zucchini grated
- Beat together the egg and milk into a large bowl.1 egg, 1 cup milk
- In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, onion powder, zucchini and cheese. Add the beaten egg mixture and stir gently. Let the mixture sit about 5 minutes before frying.2 cups of white cornmeal mix, 3 tablespoons self-rising flour, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded, Kosher salt, black pepper
- Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels and top with a cookie cooling rack. This will help the excess oil drip off so your fritters will stay crisp.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop about 1-inch balls into the hot oil. Take care not to splash, and be sure not to crowd the pan or the fritters won't crisp up.
- Fry the fritters until golden brown on one side - about 3-5 minutes - before turning. Once golden all the way around, remove to the prepared cookie cooling rack and sprinkle immediately with kosher salt. Serve hot.Kosher salt
Equipment
- Cooking Thermometer
Notes
- For a more intense corn flavor, use yellow cornmeal instead of white and add more texture with 4 tablespoons of fresh corn kernels.
- Add some heat with 1 finely minced jalapeno pepper and/or substitute the cheddar cheese for pepper jack instead.
Alley D. says
I love hushpuppies! I can't wait to try these! We have zucchini coming out of our ears, too!
Thanks for the recipe.
Alley
Ang Paris says
Every year we plant too many, lol! I hope you enjoy these!
eymi adrianza says
haha i wish i could have so many zucchinis i love them! and wow u mentioned a chocolate zucchini cake and my heart just stop hahaha i will check it out
lisa says
I normally don't eat hushpuppies because they are so heavy. This sounds like healthier way to enjoy them.
Margaret says
I've never really eaten zucchini that I can remember. My husband keeps trying to get me to try it. I've been very reluctant, but these look really good. I might try zucchini.
Jamie says
Those look amazing!! Pinned it to try for dinner one night! 🙂
Steph says
I love hushpuppies, but don't often eat them in my quest to lose the rest of the baby weight. But with zucchini in them, they have to be healthier, right? We'll be giving these a shot soon!
Jennie @ The Diary of a Real Housewife says
Yum! I have always loved hushpuppies! What a great idea snaking some veggies in!
Ang Paris says
It's kind of sneaky, but they're SO good! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Krista says
Could these be done in an air fryer?
Ang Paris says
I have never tried making hushpuppies in the air fryer, so I'm not sure honestly. If you try it, I'd love for you to let me know how it worked!